As Roberto is riding the train for the first time, beginning to understand all of the possibilities for him to never return home, he is also beginning to understand that the time ahead are not going to get easier. It is the first sign of his struggle for survival.
I cannot even imagine being in Roberto's shoes, thinking about all that was left behind, and the people I will never see again. To know that suffering is just around the corner, and any wrong move could cost my life, is simply not possible to comprehend. This calls to me the need to be thankful for what I have, because no one knows when it could all become a memory.
At the work camps, Roberto continues to work; even when the days seem endless, the food supply low, the abilities to speak rare, and possibility of escape impossible, Roberto consistently pushes himself to continue.
In our lives today, we complain about how much "work" we are forced to do. This may include the extremely painful: doing chores, finishing homework, and meeting other deadlines. We may feel like quitting when we have to apply some effort to what we are doing. But at least we know what we have to do. Roberto was ordered to work in a foreign language, so he didn't even know what the exact task was. His days became mixed with each other because he didn't have that deadline to meet. This work could last his entire lifetime for all he knew. He couldn't let this stop him from working, though. If he did stop, the grave punishment from the German soldiers was sure to come after. He was stuck in a mental crisis. This makes our most painful tasks or chores seem minor and effortless. So what do we do about this? We still complain. This is the reality of what happens today.
After seeing his best friend killed by fellow laborers, he knows that his friend will be ripped of his dignity, and he doesn't want to be around for that to happen. He then needs to take the window of escape opportunity to get out of the camp before he is preyed upon as well. He is not escaping to a welcoming home nearby; he needs to fend for himself in the wilderness and deadly cold. He has a new journey: crossing several country borders, continuing on as the enemy to all.
The risks I take in my life compared to what Roberto risked are trivial. I may take a small risk here or there to make my life easier or hopefully improve my life in the future. Roberto risked his life to enter into the realm of the unknown. He had no idea what could be waiting for him beyond the woods and in his future travels. When I take risks, I at least have some idea of the consequences of my actions. Roberto was either going to stay in the endless and deadly work camps, afraid of torture by the soldiers or other laborers, or he could take a chance at survival in order to have a goal to work for, a reason for living, and hopefully a life to live. His hunger would become unbearable, and his chances slim, but he would still continue push on. I then think of the things I categorize in my life as "near impossible" such as missing a meal, eating something I do not particularly like, or staying outside when the weather is "cold." Roberto survived conditions 100 times worse.
After he travels through the wilderness, and becomes friends with a Ukrainian boy, he meets up with a run-away soldier and decides he will become a partigiani with the soldier, fighting against the Nazi soldiers and fighting against those approving the war.
I would not have the courage Roberto had to become a partigiani. By becoming a partigiani, he was not only changing his path from going home to going to another place unknown, but he was also beginning another journey. He would continue to risk his life while fighting for what he believed was right. I would not risk my life once, let alone continuously risk my life fighting against an obviously more powerful force. That took Roberto great courage, bravery, and wisdom to know that running home would get him nowhere. The meaning of "home" for him would ever be the same again.
As Roberto is riding the train for the first time, beginning to understand all of the possibilities for him to never return home, he is also beginning to understand that the time ahead are not going to get easier. It is the first sign of his struggle for survival.
I cannot even imagine being in Roberto's shoes, thinking about all that was left behind, and the people I will never see again. To know that suffering is just around the corner, and any wrong move could cost my life, is simply not possible to comprehend. This calls to me the need to be thankful for what I have, because no one knows when it could all become a memory.
At the work camps, Roberto continues to work; even when the days seem endless, the food supply low, the abilities to speak rare, and possibility of escape impossible, Roberto consistently pushes himself to continue.
In our lives today, we complain about how much "work" we are forced to do. This may include the extremely painful: doing chores, finishing homework, and meeting other deadlines. We may feel like quitting when we have to apply some effort to what we are doing. But at least we know what we have to do. Roberto was ordered to work in a foreign language, so he didn't even know what the exact task was. His days became mixed with each other because he didn't have that deadline to meet. This work could last his entire lifetime for all he knew. He couldn't let this stop him from working, though. If he did stop, the grave punishment from the German soldiers was sure to come after. He was stuck in a mental crisis. This makes our most painful tasks or chores seem minor and effortless. So what do we do about this? We still complain. This is the reality of what happens today.
After seeing his best friend killed by fellow laborers, he knows that his friend will be ripped of his dignity, and he doesn't want to be around for that to happen. He then needs to take the window of escape opportunity to get out of the camp before he is preyed upon as well. He is not escaping to a welcoming home nearby; he needs to fend for himself in the wilderness and deadly cold. He has a new journey: crossing several country borders, continuing on as the enemy to all.
The risks I take in my life compared to what Roberto risked are trivial. I may take a small risk here or there to make my life easier or hopefully improve my life in the future. Roberto risked his life to enter into the realm of the unknown. He had no idea what could be waiting for him beyond the woods and in his future travels. When I take risks, I at least have some idea of the consequences of my actions. Roberto was either going to stay in the endless and deadly work camps, afraid of torture by the soldiers or other laborers, or he could take a chance at survival in order to have a goal to work for, a reason for living, and hopefully a life to live. His hunger would become unbearable, and his chances slim, but he would still continue push on. I then think of the things I categorize in my life as "near impossible" such as missing a meal, eating something I do not particularly like, or staying outside when the weather is "cold." Roberto survived conditions 100 times worse.
After he travels through the wilderness, and becomes friends with a Ukrainian boy, he meets up with a run-away soldier and decides he will become a partigiani with the soldier, fighting against the Nazi soldiers and fighting against those approving the war.
I would not have the courage Roberto had to become a partigiani. By becoming a partigiani, he was not only changing his path from going home to going to another place unknown, but he was also beginning another journey. He would continue to risk his life while fighting for what he believed was right. I would not risk my life once, let alone continuously risk my life fighting against an obviously more powerful force. That took Roberto great courage, bravery, and wisdom to know that running home would get him nowhere. The meaning of "home" for him would ever be the same again.